My Big Dream
by 2008wingedWheel
Summary: A teenager named Elizabeth lives with foster parents after her parents died in an accident. The problem? They treat her horribly! All she wants to do is get out. Will she ever be able to do it?
1. New Friends

I woke up to the sound of my foster mom's harsh voice. "Get up, brat. I'm taking you to your hockey lesson", she shouted. I got up, got dressed, grabbed my bag and came out of my room. She drove me there and grabbed my arm before I got out of the car. "I won't be picking you up after your lesson. You'll have to walk home, you little brat. Do you hear me", she hissed practically in my face. "Yes, mother", I said. She released me and I walked inside the building. I saw my skating coach standing in the hallway outside the locker room with two other people. I recognized them and my eyes widened. My coach must've seen my expression, for he laughed. "Yes, Lizzy. The Euro-Twins are going to be coaching you. I won't be coming here anymore; your skating is good and I think you'll be good. They are going to be teaching you stickhandling and there's another Red Wing in the locker room-Nicklas Kronwall-who will be helping you skate backwards", he said. It was going to be such an amazing experience to be taught by three Red Wings, but I felt sad that my coach was leaving. I had grown really close to him over the month and a half that I had been with him. I set my bag on the floor and went to hug him. "Thank you, coach, for everything", I said. "You've been an amazing student. I've felt really privileged to work with you. I won't be surprised if I see you playing in the NHL", he said. I picked up my bag and smiled. "NHL, huh? I'll think about it", I said. My coach walked down the hallway and left me alone with the Euro-Twins. I introduced myself to them and shook both of their hands. "It's nice to meet you both. I've wanted to meet you guys for some time, you're my favorite players", I said. They exchanged glances, grinning. "Don't let Kronner hear you say that. He'll be jealous", Hank warned. I smiled at that and shook my head. "I like him, too. Who wouldn't want a big hitter like that on their team? But, I mean, come on, you guys are the Euro-Twins. Everyone in Detroit loves you", I replied. "I think Kronner's getting impatient. He hates waiting, especially when it comes to hockey", Pavel announced. We went inside and I smiled when I saw the big defenseman sitting at a locker. He looked up and grinned. "Am I to assume that you're the young lady your coach was telling me about", he asked. I stood in front of him and shook his hand. "Yes, I am. My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Lizzy. Almost everyone does", I said. I went into the weight room and changed into my gear. I came out and noticed that they all had their gear on, too. "You ready", Pavel asked me. "Yes", I said happily.

"Thanks for working with me, you guys. I really enjoyed it", I told them as we stood outside the locker room. Nick wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "It was fun for us, too. It's not every day that we coach a young player like you. We're the ones usually being coached", he said. Pavel was looking concerned. "Won't it be hard on you when we go out on a road trip", he asked. "No. Even I need a break sometimes and I'm just learning how to skate and use my stick", I said. They all smiled at that. "I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow", I said quietly. "Okay, Lizzy. We all look forward to coaching you again", Hank told me. I smiled and skipped down the hallway with my bag over my shoulder. I just couldn't wait until tomorrow!

"Will you quit staring and tell us what your problem is", my foster mom snapped. I frowned. "I don't have a problem. I'm just dreaming", I replied. My foster parents rolled their eyes. "Dreams are for losers", my foster dad said. I shook my head. "No they're not. Everyone has a dream. Mine is to play hockey", I answered. My foster mom laughed. "Play hockey for a job? That's a laugh. You're probably so bad your coach laughs at you", she said with a sneer. "No! My coaches say I'm good and they're professionals", I said angrily. "NHL players? You lie. You're not coached by them", my foster dad snorted. I stood up from my chair, my eyes flashing with anger. "I am, too. The coach I had before left and some NHL players from Detroit are coaching me now. You're liars too if you don't believe me", I snapped. My foster mom came over, shoved me to the floor and smacked me hard across the face twice. "Don't you dare say that again, you ungrateful wretch. Go to your room right this minute", she said. I went and closed the door behind me. I jumped on my bed and buried my head in my pillow. They had been treating me like this for a long time and I didn't understand why. I wanted to get out of here and I had to wait until the next day. This was going to be a long night.


	2. Hurtescaped

The days passed and I was getting more and more comfortable with my coaches. And, as it was turning out, not only were they my coaches, they were also my friends. I was in my room tonight thinking about my new coaches. I was learning a lot from them and I loved them. They were so nice to me, nicer than I had thought they would be. My bedroom door opened and I sucked in my breath. "Are you going to leave, you little brat", my foster mom asked. "No. I wasn't planning too", I replied. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor with my mom sitting on top of me. "Don't lie. I heard you say that you were going to run away. Did you say that, you idiot? Didn't you", she demanded, pinning me down with her hand and her body. "I never said that. I didn't say that", I said. My foster mom beat me so bad; I thought I was going to die. She got almost every part of my body before she got up and left the room.

I slowly raised myself up and grabbed the piece of paper that was on my table. Nick had given me his address and his phone number. Quietly, slowly, I got out of the house. I was running away and it might seem like a bad idea, but I had to get out of there. It took me a while, but I finally found Nick's house. I knocked on his door and waited. When he opened the door, he looked surprised. "Hi, Lizzy. What are you doing here", he asked. I swallowed hard and I felt my eyes filling with tears. "Can I please come inside", I asked quietly. The surprised look on his face turned to concern and he let me inside. When he saw my face and what must've seemed like a tired look in my eyes, he pulled me into a hug. He hugged me way too hard; I let out a gasp and gently shoved him away. "Please don't squeeze so hard. I hurt all over", I said. "Is it from practice? And where did you get all those bruises on your face", he asked gently. My eyes filled with tears and I turned my head away. "No, it's not from practice. My parents… I'm a foster child. My foster parents beat me all the time. My foster mom beat me so hard and so much that I hurt all over", I replied in a cracked voice. His hand touched my face and he turned my head towards him. "Let's get some ice on those bruises", he said. I grabbed his hand and he led me into the kitchen. To my surprise, Hank and Pav were there too. They were both surprised to see me and they seemed even more surprised when Nick handed me an ice pack. "Did you fall", Hank asked. I shook my head and I felt Nick's hand touch my shoulder. "I should have told you this earlier, but if I did, you guys wouldn't have wanted to coach me. You see, I'm living with my foster family. My real parents died two years ago and ever since, I've been living with this family. But, as you can see from my face, they beat me all the time", I said quietly, tears of shame coming in my eyes. There was silence for a few minutes before Pavel held out his hand. I came over and took it. "What makes you say that we wouldn't have wanted to coach you? After hearing your story, I want to coach even than I did before. Your foster family doesn't see what they have right in front of them: a sweet, beautiful girl who loves hockey", he said. My eyes widened and I opened my mouth in shock. My voice came out shaky as I asked: "You guys care about me that much?" Hank gestured me over and I stood in front of him. He pulled me into his lap and brushed the hair gently from my face. "Besides my family and maybe my teammates, I've cared for no one as much as I've cared for you. I felt your sweetness and your charm when I first met you. We've worked with you for three, maybe four months, and we all agree that you're like a sister. No one should go through what you're going through. If I'd known this earlier, I would've taken you in right on the spot. It's pretty special to think that, after all you've been through and are still going through, you're strong and sweet. I want to keep coaching you and I hope you keep coming", he said. For what seemed like the 20th time that night, my eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Zetta, do you have any idea what those words mean to me? After two whole years of hell, I never thought I would hear someone say what you just said. I never told you guys this, but you guys mean so much to me. Everything that you've done and that you're doing right now is a blessing. There were times that I was just ready to flee to another country or hide under my bed for days at a time…" My voice trailed off, but I knew that each of them knew what I meant.

The front door opened at that moment and I saw Nick smile. "Lizzy, I think your favorite person has arrived", he told me. It was his teammate, Valtteri Filppula. Besides my coaches, I don't think there was anyone I was closest to than Val. I'd met him a day or so after my new coaches and it seemed like almost instantly we were friends. There were times when he acted like a teacher or a coach, but that just helped me more. "Lizzy?! What are you doing here? Won't your parents be worried about you", he asked. I shook my head. "I don't think they'd care if I left. They might even be glad that I'm not there", I replied. Val frowned, as if trying to process what I was saying. "Is that why they beat you", he finally asked. "I don't know why they beat me. But, I think the worst part of it is: they're my foster parents. I mean, my parents had just died, I was in an orphanage, I got picked out for them to foster me and this is what I got. For two whole years", I replied. I could see Val's face turning red. "Let's go to the police right now and tell them", he said. "That's a good idea, but can it wait until morning? I'm starved and tired", I said quietly. Val's eyes widened and his face softened. "Sure, we can wait. They starve you, too?" I shivered. "Yes. I'll eat half my food before something happens and I get sent to my room", I replied. He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that. They starve you, beat you and you don't get a lot of sleep? Boy, I wanna go over there right now and rip their heads off. I'll wait", he said.


	3. Brand New Life?

I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and crying. I had just had the worst nightmare ever and I just wasn't sure if I was ever going to get it out of my head. I heard my bedroom door opening and Nick coming inside. "Lizzy? What's wrong", he asked, sitting on the edge of my head. I swallowed and crawled toward him. "A nightmare. The same one I've been having for six months now", I said. He pulled me into his lap and I buried my head in his chest, crying. I felt his arms go around me and he rubbed my back. "I'm sorry, Nicky", I said. He ran his hand through my hair. "Sorry for what", he asked. "Showing up at your house in the middle of the night, for crying, for acting weak and tired", I replied. Suddenly, we heard knocking on the front door. I felt fear run through me and felt my fears being confirmed when I heard, even though the front door was closed and we were upstairs, my foster parents' voices. "It's them", I said. Nick looked at me. "Your foster parents?" I nodded. Nick whispered some plan into my ear and I nodded, ready to do anything that would get me away from my foster parents. We went downstairs and I sat on the floor in front of the couch. Nick went and opened the door. "She's here! Where is she", my foster mom asked in a demanding tone. "I don't know who you are talking about", Nick replied, confusion in his voice the way he'd planned. "My foster child", my foster mom replied. Nick (I didn't see it, but I heard later) rolled his eyes. "Really, you think I would have a foster child here hiding? Unless the parents were mean and I knew the kid well enough that they'd trust me, I wouldn't take foster child in". I smiled to myself. "Well, our foster child told us she was being coached by some Detroit players. You're a Detroit player so you must know her. Tell me where she is". Nick sighed.

That was my signal. I slowly pushed myself up and walked over to where Nick was. "Hi, sweetie. I'm happy to see you", mom said. My eyes flashed. "That's what you say. You're not really happy to see me", I replied. She looked at me like I had grown two heads. "Why would you say that? Of course I'm happy to see you". I shook my head. "No. No, you're not. If you were happy to see me, would I have these bruises on my face? If you were happy to see me, would I come over to his house crying? No, I wouldn't. You've given me nothing but crap for two years. You've hurt me, starved me and I haven't had a real good night's sleep in a long time. No, you don't care about me. No foster parent or parents would treat their foster child like crap, especially when the kid's parents have just died", I spat. My foster dad glared at me and reached for my arm. I scrambled out of the way and hid behind Nick. "Get back over here, you little brat". I shuttered. Nick's hand touched my arm and he gave it a gentle squeeze. "Give me my child", my foster mom said angrily. Nick's hand on my arm tightened just a bit. "No. I will not give her back to you. She's been dealing with you for far too long. Maybe I only found out tonight what you were doing to her, but the bruises on her face, her crying and how late it was when she came here was enough to know something was wrong. I hated hearing stories about people being abused, but now that I know someone who's being abused, it makes it a lot worse. The best thing you could do right now is get the hell out of my house", Nick said. I wrapped my arms tight around his middle and he squeezed my hands. As I found out from Nick later, my foster parents looked quite surprised. "You dare defy us of our daughter", my foster dad asked. I bit my lip. "When you've been hurting her for as long as you have, yes I can defy you. Now get out of here before I call the police and tell them you were trying to kidnap a child", he said. The door slammed shut as my foster parents left. I started to cry and Nick wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Shh. You're okay", he said, pulling me into a hug. I swallowed hard and shook as the sobs racked my body. I could feel Nick gently gripping my upper arms to steady me. "Do you just want to go to bed", he asked. "Yes! Don't leave, please don't leave", I replied. He picked me up and carried me back up to the bedroom. "Who says I'm leaving? I won't leave, I'll stay with you", he told me softly. He tucked me under the covers and climbed in next to me.

"…and that's my story, Officer", I finished a few days later. Nicky and I had decided this morning to go to the police and talk to them. Ever since Nicky had sent them away from his house, they had been threatening me and trying to blackmail me to come back to them. I wasn't going back, but I was scared for both Nicky and I that they'd try to do something worse. "Why haven't you call us before to tell us this", the Chief asked. I chewed my lip nervously. "I've tried, but they've caught me every time. Whenever they've gone out, they've threatened to beat me up if they found out that I called the police", I explained. Nicky squeezed my hand tightly and I send a small smile his way. "Well, thank you for coming to us. The next thing we're going to do is talk to them". My eyes widened. "I'm screwed now", I muttered. Both of them looked at me. "Screwed? Why would you be screwed", Nicky asked. "Because they're going to deny everything that I've said. They always do. If they deny it, what's gonna happen to me?" The chief bit his lip. "Don't worry about that. Just worry about getting better, okay?" I nodded and then Nicky and I said our goodbyes. "Expect a phone call in the next week or so", the chief said to Nicky.


End file.
